In response, Johnson said, “Yeah, it gives access to a bunch of retards to have access to me. … I don’t need 10,000 people telling me you should sing this, you should sing that. I’m going to listen to myself, whether you like it or not. ”

Johnson was talking about fans requesting the songs for last week’s round. The song chosen for Ikeler was “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith, which he admitted to hating.

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Using the R-word is considered by many to be offensive enough — and Johnson used it to describe his loyal followers.

Ikeler, who hosts a show on Maria Menounos’ online network AfterBuzz TV, said, “I knew people were going to get mad. But I didn’t know it would blow up the way it did.”

Johnson issued an apology on his Facebook page, writing, “For the record, that juvenile comment I made in the interview was not directed towards my fans, but to the wackos that send hundreds of hate messages a day to me.”

But Ikeler said that it didn’t sound like he meant it that way during the interview.

He said, “I think what made people the most upset is, while he said it was directed at the haters ... if you listen to the interview, it seems like it was directed at the fans.”

Ikeler, a graduate of Brandon High School and Oakland University, moved to Los Angeles two years ago and, shortly after, was hired by AfterBuzz. The idea of the online network is, like sports have post-game wrap-up shows, television shows now have the same.

Every week, Ikeler interviews contestants from “American Idol” and “The Voice” after their performances.

Ikeler said Johnson’s comments could cost him the “American Idol” title.

“I’ve had a lot of people tweeting (to me) and saying they’re not voting for him anymore,” Ikeler said.

Ikeler admits that he does feel bad for Johnson.

“I’ve gotten to know him pretty well,” said Ikeler. “He is a nice kid. But, when you’re on a national TV show, you have to watch what you say.”

“‘Idol’ plucks kids out of obscurity, so they haven’t been media trained. It’s good because they’re more candid, but then, things like this happen.”

This is the first season Ikeler has hosted the “American Idol” after-show. He said all the contestants this year are really nice, but says that he is rooting for Jena Irene Asciutto, who is an Oakland County native like him.

“She is my favorite to interview. … She is very sweet and bubbly,” said Ikeler. “She is my favorite performer on the show. I think she’s super talented. And we’re both from Michigan.”

About the Author

Monica Drake also puts together the community sections, in print each Thursday. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Oakland University. Reach the author at monica.drake@oakpress.com
or follow Monica on Twitter: @monica_adele.